Pile-strengthener



No. 749,957. PATENTED JAN. 19, 19 04. 1

A. 3.. COOPER.

PILE STRENGTHENER.

' APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 25. 1903.-

NO MODEL.

ama/W302 Add JI/myqg UNITED STATES Patented January 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

PILE-STRENGTHENYEB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 749,957, dated January 1-9, 1904.

Application filed June 25, 1903. Serial No. 163,909. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS STEIGER COOPER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, county of Alameda, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pile-Strengtheners; and

Y I do hereby declare the following to be a full,

' causes due to their'necessary exposure and position.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, economical, and effective means for lengthening the comparatively short life of piles by restoring much of their strength and rendering them capable of sustaining necessary weight and of resisting in greater part the lateral strains to which they are subjected. My invention consists in the novel strengthening means which I shall now describe by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation of my pile-strengthener applied to a pile which is almost eaten through. and showing an arrangement of four braces disposed to resist a lateral strain at right angles to the length of the wharf, as well as to support weight. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on line as m of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevation, broken, of an arrangement of three braces applied to a pile wholly severed by the ravages of the teredo or limnoria or otherwise broken in two. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 3/ y .of Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, A is a pile the body of which between high and low water marks has been almost destroyed, as shown. B represents braces. There may be two or more of these. In the case mentioned there are four relatively disposed to best resist lateral strain, especially strain at right angles to the length of the wharf of which the pile may be supposed to form a part. These braces B are in their best form sticks of timber. They size is such that being practically unfit for other use they are as cheap as cord-wood and equally available. They are placed lengthwise of the wasted portion of the pile, bridging said portion, and are then connected or tied and drawn in together with considerable force to cause their ends to press in againstthe pile for a distance governed by the contour of the pile, its density and the pressure applied.

It will be found in many cases that without any preparation whatever of the ends of the braces they will sink into the pile, conform to its contour for a good bearing distance at each-end, and present a kind of bed or cradle well adapted to support weight and to resist side strains; but it may be and in many cases it will be of advantage to chamfer the inner or bearing surfaces of the ends of the braces, as I have shown at 1), thereby accentuating the closeness and effectiveness of the bearing between the braces and the pile. Spikes C may be driven into the ends of the braces and into the pile. The tying and tightening means for the braces comprise bolts D and nuts E and in the case shown'in Figs. 1 and 2 crossyokes F, whereby all the braces are connected or tied together and may be tightened up as a whole upon the pile simply by turning up the nuts.

In Fig. 3 the pile A isshown as having been severed by some cause. In this case I show three braces B relatively disposed in a triangle. The tying and tightening means here shown are the nuts E and the bolts D, which latter are arranged to radiate from a common center. In like manner two braces may sometimes be used, or five or more, as the case may require, the bolts being properly arranged in each case to tie all together. Thus the piles may be strengthened cheaply and IOO 2. A pile-strengthener comprising a plurality of braces disposed to bridge the weakened portion of the pile, said braces having their ends chamfered and bearing with said chamfered ends against the upper and lower ends of said weakened portion of the pile, and means for tying said braces together to hold them against the pile.

3. A pile-strengthener comprising a plurality of braces disposed to bridge the weakened portion of the pile and to bear with their ends against the upper and lower ends of said portion, and bolts and nuts for tying said braces together and tightening them against the pile. 

